Practice Areas

The attorneys at Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP represent companies and select individuals in a variety of business, real estate and litigation matters. While by no means exhaustive, our range of experience and expertise includes the following types of matters:

Employment Counseling & Litigation

Wrongful termination

Harassment

Discrimination

Wage claims

Class actions

Preparing and reviewing employee handbooks

Real Estate Transactions & Land Use

Acquisitions and dispositions

Planning and development

Fees and exactions

Common interest subdivisions

Construction contracts

Leasing

Joint ventures

Financing

Homeowner Association Issues

Business & Real Estate Litigation

Misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition

Breach of contract by corporate service providers

Real estate disputes

Construction defects

Breach of warranty and related claims for sale of goods

Products liability

Non-competition agreements

Business interference and related torts

Shareholder and partnership disputes

Commercial unlawful detainer actions

Business & Corporate

Mergers and acquisitions

Formation of corporations, LLCs and joint ventures

Acquisitions and dispositions

Operating and shareholder agreements

Drafting and maintenance of corporate minutes and resolutions

Dissolution, liquidation and winding up

Trust & Estate Litigation

Trust Litigation

Probate Litigation

Conservatorship Litigation

Elder Abuse Litigation

Estate Planning & Administration

Wills and Trusts

Trust Administration

Probate Administration

Our Team

With a client list that includes Fortune 500 and other publicly traded companies, international manufacturers, corporate executives and select individuals, Ross Wersching & Wolcott attorneys provide sound legal advice and representation in a variety of litigation, real estate and business matters.

Alan G. Ross, Esq.

Partner & Founder

Eric J. Wersching, Esq.

Partner & Founder

Cynthia M. Wolcott, Esq.

Partner

Gianna C. Gruenwald, Esq.

Partner

Elizabeth T. Hall, Esq.

Senior Counsel

Daniel J. Lee, Esq.

Of Counsel

Will O'Neill, Esq.

Partner

Caroline Scala, Esq.

Attorney

Suzanne M. Tague, Esq.

Partner

Paul M. Teinert, Esq.

Attorney

Consistent with our philosophy that the best approach to litigation is often to avoid it altogether, Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP offers its clients consulting services on personnel matters designed to ensure legal compliance and minimize disputes. These services range from preparing and revising employee handbooks and agreements to making ourselves readily available to answer personnel questions as they arise.Contact Us

Our Philosophy

The law firm of Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP is committed to providing quality, efficiency, and value in the practice of law. With a client list that includes Fortune 500 and other publicly traded companies, international manufacturers, corporate executives and select individuals, RW&W attorneys provide sound legal advice and representation in a wide variety of real estate, business and litigation matters.

Through personal experience as in-house counsel, we have gained a client's perspective on the importance of efficiency and value in a law firm. Many firms commonly staff cases with teams of three, four or even five attorneys, some of whom the client has never met and knows only from their initials on monthly billing statements. RW&W is fundamentally different. Our philosophy is to provide quality representation without unnecessary layers of bureaucracy and billing. This is the philosophy we practice every day. Not surprisingly, our corporate and individual clients find this approach to be an increasingly rare and desirable feature in a law firm.

Notwithstanding our proficiency and experience in litigation, RW&W recognizes and appreciates that the best approach to litigation may be to prevent it from happening in the first place. While it is not always possible or practical to fend off litigation in every instance, we strive to provide our clients with sound advice about legal issues before they become legal problems.

Simply put, RW&W attorneys provide the same level of service we would expect if we were the clients. We value our clients' time and resources, and when they call, we answer. We refuse to shuttle our clients from secretary to secretary or from attorney to attorney. Unlike many firms in today's market whose only regular communication with their clients comes in the form of a monthly bill, we provide our clients with frequent updates on the status of their matters and are always directly available to answer their questions. Our clients find this "efficient responsiveness" to be a refreshing change when dealing with counsel.

Results

"Ross Wersching & Wolcott attorneys provide the same level of service we would expect if we were the clients.
We value our clients' time and resources, and when they call, we answer."

Success Stories

Recently, Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP obtained arbitration awards in favor of its client, a Fortune 500 company, in two separate cases brought by The Regents of the University of California (“UC”). In the first arbitration, UC alleged that that the client had overbilled for facilities management services from 1999-2005 in the amount of $5.5 million. After a week-long arbitration in San Francisco, the arbitrator denied UC’s claims in their entirety.

In the second arbitration, UC alleged overbilling by the same Fortune 500 client from 2007-2012, including claims that the client committed violations of the California False Claims Act (“FCA”). UC alleged damages exceeding $7.6 million. Ross Wersching and Wolcott LLP counterclaimed on the client’s behalf for amounts UC failed to pay, as well as for interest, costs and attorneys’ fees. The three-arbitrator AAA panel (consisting of two retired judges and a sitting U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge) denied UC’s claims under the FCA and instead awarded the client a total of over $9.4 million (including $7.6 million in damages and $1.8 million in interest and costs). Notably, the parties’ briefs addressing attorneys’ fees revealed that Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP’s fees were 35% less than those incurred by UC.

Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP obtained a $2.7 million judgment on behalf of an international manufacturer of building materials against a former executive for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract.

Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP obtained a $2.25 million settlement in a breach of contract action against a major California Hospital in a case where the hospital initially and consistently denied liability until facts obtained by Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP through discovery prompted settlement.

Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP recently persuaded the Department of Labor to close an investigation and refrain from pursing any charges against a statewide in-home care provider.

Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP obtained a $684,336 AAA arbitration award, including attorneys’ fees, costs, and interest, on behalf of its client, a worldwide manufacturer of children’s educational games. Ross Wersching &Wolcott LLP proved that the defendant, an international manufacturer of video games, had breached a supply and distribution agreement and a stock purchase agreement.

Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP brought a motion on behalf of a nationwide home products retailer for the opposing party’s destruction of evidence. The court granted the motion and awarded the client over $16,000 in sanctions. In addition, the judge ruled that the jury should receive an “adverse inference” instruction to allow a finding that the destroyed documents were harmful to the opposing party. The case then settled immediately, with the opposing party dismissing its claims in their entirety.

Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP resolved a Federal Court case for its client, a manufacturer of heavy machinery sued for more than $4 million by a purchaser of its machines who claimed they were defective. Under the terms of the settlement, the client paid no money and regained possession of the machines. After confirming that none of the defects alleged in the lawsuit ever actually existed, the client was able to resell the machines for an amount that covered all of its attorneys’ fees and yielded a six-figure net profit.

Alan G. Ross, Esq.

Founding Partner

Alan G. Ross received his Juris Doctor in 1992 from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. He graduated summa cum laude from University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Mr. Ross began his legal career with Graham & James LLP as a litigation associate in its Los Angeles and Orange County offices. His work in these two offices came with the benefits of working for an established worldwide firm while still affording him substantial "hands on" involvement with cases in state and federal courts.

Based on his early performance, Mr. Ross was offered and accepted an opportunity in 1995 to relocate to the firm's office in Tokyo, Japan. During his tenure in Japan, Mr. Ross worked as in-house counsel for ITOCHU Corporation, a globally integrated Japanese trading company with annual revenues exceeding US$100 billion. During his three years at ITOCHU, Mr. Ross was responsible for overseeing litigation in United States courts and elsewhere and for negotiating mergers, acquisitions and contracts for infrastructure projects throughout Asia and Australia. These projects included the Kowloon-Canton Railway, the US$500 million Monorail portion of the "KL Linear City" project in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and establishment of RPG Itochu Finance Ltd., a multinational financing company in Mumbai (Bombay), India.

Mr. Ross returned to practice in the United States in 1998 and became affiliated with the firm of Payne & Fears in Orange County, California. He subsequently co-founded the firm of Ross & Wersching LLP (the predecessor firm to Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP) in Costa Mesa, California, where he continues to achieve impressive results for domestic and foreign clients in a variety of business and litigation matters.

Mr. Ross is admitted to practice before all State and Federal Courts in California. He is a member of the State Bar of California, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and the Robert A. Banyard Inn of Court.

Eric J. Wersching, Esq.

Eric J. Wersching represents clients in all phases of complex litigation, with an emphasis on contract disputes, trade secret violations, employment disputes, and real estate matters. Mr. Wersching has successfully arbitrated and litigated cases involving misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract, wrongful termination and harassment, fraud, wage and hour violations, construction defects, insurance bad faith, and employee raiding. A substantial portion of his practice also involves advising high net worth individuals on their legal issues. Mr. Wersching also consults and advises on employment-related issues for transactional matters including a variety of mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Wersching received his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he distinguished himself as an Order of the Coif and magna cum laude graduate, a Thurston Honor Society member, and Commencement Speaker. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Education, magna cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was selected Commencement Speaker.

Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Wersching served as a law clerk to the Honorable Melvin T. Brunetti, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to co-founding Ross & Wersching LLP (the predecessor firm to Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP), Mr. Wersching practiced employment, business and insurance litigation in the Orange County office of Payne & Fears LLP.

When not practicing law, Mr. Wersching volunteers in the community, including spending time as the Orange County Area Chair for the UCLA Alumni Association's Scholarship Committee. Mr. Wersching is a Trustee of the UC Hastings College of the Law Foundation (where he is a member of the Finance Committee and Co-Chair of the Honors Committee), is a Fellow of the Orange County Bar Foundation, and is a past Chair of the Ladera Ranch Civic Council. Mr. Wersching also lectures in the United States and abroad on law-related topics.

Mr. Wersching is admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in California as well as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and before the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the State Bar of California, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the Robert A. Banyard Inn of Court and is a licensed California real estate broker.

Cynthia M. Wolcott, Esq.

Partner

Cynthia M. Wolcott’s real estate practice spans over twenty years. A 1985 graduate of the University of Southern California School of Law, Ms. Wolcott has significant experience representing both commercial and residential real estate developers, including homebuilders, shopping center developers and hotel developers. Ms. Wolcott’s practice includes negotiation and documentation of residential and commercial purchase and sale agreements and the financing for such transactions. Her practice also includes commercial leasing and long term ground leases, as well as land use and regulatory work, including CEQA compliance for her developer clients. She regularly handles transactions for families developing and/or leasing large real estate holdings.

In addition to receiving her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California School of Law, Ms. Wolcott earned her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College. Prior to joining Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP, Ms. Wolcott was a partner with the law firm of Palmieri, Tyler, Wiener, Wilhelm and Waldron LLP.

Ms. Wolcott is admitted to practice before all state courts in California and is a member of the American Bar Association and the Orange County Bar Association, Real Estate and Business and Corporate Law Sections.

Will’s leadership in local and statewide bar activities has helped develop a strong reputation among members of the bench and fellow attorneys. His leadership includes membership on the Board of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (Orange County chapter), serving on the Executive Board for the University of California Hastings College of Law Board of Governors (President in 2016), and immediate past Trustee of the Celtic Bar Association. He has been recognized as Martindale Hubbell AV Rated and a Southern California Lawyers Rising Star in 2013 and 2014.

Will has experience in a wide range of practice areas, including real estate development disputes, commercial lease disputes, trade secret misappropriation, breach of fiduciary duty, construction dispute litigation, franchise disputes, employee restrictive covenants, Stranger Originated Life Insurance (STOLI) disputes, and international and cross state litigation complexities. He has litigated actively in various arbitration forums, numerous counties throughout the State of California, and every Federal District Court in California. He has also handled appeals in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and California Courts of Appeal. He has taken or defended over fifty depositions and was one of two attorneys to take a complex real estate dispute to a jury trial with over two thousand exhibits between the parties. He has also served as local counsel to prominent firms in different parts of the United States.

Will’s legal writings have appeared widely in numerous publications, including Managing IP, Federal Bar Association (Orange County Chapter), Orange County Lawyer, Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report, Orange County Business Journal, and a section of a Corporate Practice Series Portfolio for Bloomberg BNA. Will supports local and international charities, including World Vision, Compassion International, and Beta Foster Care. He spends his time away from work with his wife and two young children and hopes at least one of his children will follow his path during his undergraduate years of throwing the discus.

Daniel J. Lee, Esq.

Of Counsel

Daniel J. Lee is Of Counsel at Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP who practices law with an emphasis in Business, Real Estate, and Employment Litigation. As a lifelong resident of Southern California, Mr. Lee attended UCLA for his undergraduate studies, and thereafter Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law for his legal education. As a law student, Mr. Lee trained to become a trial attorney by serving in the Gang Unit of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Academically, Mr. Lee graduated with honors and served as an Editor in the Chapman Law Review.

As a California licensed attorney, Mr. Lee has successfully prosecuted and defended a myriad of civil actions for varied clients, including Fortune 500 companies, national insurance carriers, national banking institutions, corporate executives, and high net worth individuals. At case intake, Mr. Lee analyzes pertinent facts in conjunction with the latest state of the law to develop insightful case strategy which is efficiently, effectively, and economically implemented at each stage of litigation (e.g., fact investigation, pleadings, discovery, motion practice, settlement negotiations, trial, appeal). Mr. Lee’s representative cases include secured lending litigation for national banking associations, class action consumer defense for restaurants, real estate title litigation retained by national insurance providers, intellectual property litigation for international broadcasting companies, warranty claims for international electronics manufacturers, and employment defense for publicly traded corporations. Mr. Lee has also advanced creditors’ rights in the United States Bankruptcy Court, and has successfully argued before the California Court of Appeal.

Fluent in written and spoken Korean, Mr. Lee regularly advises international organizations such as the Korean Franchise Association. Active in the community, Mr. Lee is a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Orange County Asian American Bar Association, Overseas Korean Traders Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and the Orange County Korean American Bar Association.

Mr. Lee is admitted to practice before all California state courts, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Additionally, Mr. Lee is a licensed California real estate broker.

Paul M. Teinert, Esq.

Attorney

Paul M. Teinert received his Juris Doctor from Chapman University School of Law. While in law school Mr. Teinert served as a member of the Mock Trial Honors Board where he was the recipient of the Trial Advocacy Award. Prior to law school Mr. Teinert earned his Bachelor's degree in Legal Studies at the University of California, Berkeley where he was a member of the track and field team and earned NCAA All-American Honors his junior and senior year.

Mr. Teinert focuses his practice on employment, business, and real estate-related matters. Mr. Teinert also counsels employers on issues arising under state and federal employment laws to ensure compliance and minimize risk.

Mr. Teinert is admitted to practice before all California state courts as well as the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He is a member of the State Bar of California and the Orange County Bar Association.

Suzanne M. Tague, Esq.

Attorney

Suzanne M. Tague received her Juris Doctor in 1977 from Pepperdine University School of Law. She graduated from University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Ms. Tague is a Certified Specialist in Probate, Estate Planning & Trust Law and has an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell. Suzanne was named a "Southern California Super Lawyer", a designation bestowed on only the top 5% of lawyers in Southern California, by Law and Politics and Los Angeles Magazines for years 2009, 2010, and 2011. Her practice has an emphasis in estate planning, probate and trust administration, including litigated matters. Ms. Tague regularly handles probate, conservatorships, and guardianship matters and often acts as court-appointed guardian ad litem for minors and incapacitated persons.

Ms. Tague's estate planning practice encompasses the drafting of wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts for life insurance and other assets, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts, Intentional Defective Grantor Trusts as well as prenuptial agreements and other tax oriented planning. Ms. Tague also advises clients on corporate formations and non-profit foundations both for families and for organizations.

She has been an instructor for numerous estate planning seminars for CEB and NBI over the years as well as for local colleges and universities, financial planners, and various community and social organizations. Ms. Tague is a Past President of the Orange Coast Estate Planning Council, a past delegate to the California State Bar Convention, and was on the Board of Directors of the Irvine Temporary Housing Guild and Families Forward.

Gianna C. Gruenwald, Esq.

Attorney

Gianna C. Gruenwald graduated from U.C. Hastings College of the Law and was admitted to the California State Bar in 2003. Ms. Gruenwald earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree from UCLA. She served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Joyce L. Kennard of the California Supreme Court. Ms. Gruenwald initially practiced for 6 years in the field of antitrust litigation, representing consumers and small businesses in multi-million dollar antitrust class actions. She then turned her focus to the field of trust and estate, probate, and elder law litigation. She has advised trustees, beneficiaries, conservators, and conservatees in litigation concerning trust and estate disputes, conservatorships, elder abuse, and end-of-life care.

Elizabeth T. Hall, Esq.

Senior Counsel

Elizabeth T. Hall received her Juris Doctor in 1992 from The University of Connecticut School of Law. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Ms. Hall started practicing law with Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon as a litigation associate in their Walnut Creek, California office. In 1994, Ms. Hall accepted an associate position in the Business and Technology Group of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison in their Irvine office. For nearly a decade Ms. Hall specialized in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financings (as well as other private equity and debt offerings), public offerings, public company compliance matters and general corporate law. Fifth District Supervisor Patricia Bates appointed Ms. Hall to the Orange County Planning Commission in 2009 where she served for four years, including a year as Chairperson of the Commission. Ms. Hall became Of Counsel with the Corporate Law Group in 2010 where she continued her corporate, M&A and venture capital law practice. In 2013 Ms. Hall joined Ross, Wersching & Wolcott, where her practice has expanded to include real estate law, building on her experience as a member of the Orange County Planning Commission. This aspect of her practice focuses on the acquisition and disposition of real property assets for residential and commercial developers, as well as commercial financing transactions. She also continues to maintain her general corporate law practice.

Ms. Hall is admitted to practice before all state courts in California and is a member of the American Bar Association and the Orange County Bar Association.

Caroline Scala, Esq.

Attorney

Caroline S. Scala is an associate attorney at Ross Wersching & Wolcott LLP, where she specializes in business and employment litigation as well as intellectual property matters involving trademarks. Caroline graduated cum laude from the University of California, San Diego and earned her Juris Doctor degree from Chapman University School of Law in May 2012, which she attended on a full merit scholarship.

During law school, Caroline served as Articles Editor for the Chapman Law Review. Her article, The FCC’s Role in Regulating Network Neutrality: Protection of Online Innovation and Business, 15 CHAP.L.REV. 419 (2011) was published in the Fall 2011 issue. Caroline also served as Academic Fellow for Contracts after obtaining the highest class grade and was an active participant in the Mock Trial Honor Board where she received a perfect score at the 2012 ABA National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition in Chicago. While in law school, Caroline interned at the California Public Utilities Commission and served as a judicial extern for the Honorable William F. Rylaarsdam at the California Court of Appeal, where she assisted in drafting appellate opinions.

Currently, Caroline enjoys volunteering her time as attorney coach for Fountain Valley High School's mock trial team and is passionate about animal rights, having worked on pro bono matters for nonprofit organizations such as Last Chance for Animals and Expand Animal Rights Now.